Government wasting time with BCS

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) – Utah is the man you may know best as the senator who is trying to persuade the U.S. Government to take legal action against the BCS – the system used to determine college football’s national champion.  You may also be interested to know that the Justice Department is now looking into whether the system violates antitrust laws.

Ridiculous, I know.

First of all, let me give you some information about Hatch.  He’s a Utah state Senator.  Hmm…I do remember a college football team that went 13-0 just last year but didn’t play in the BCS National Championship game.  Hatch couldn’t possibly be lobbying on behalf of his own state’s university, could he?

Actually, yes.

I bet you don’t know that Hatch has done this before.  The IRS mistakenly released a confidential tax filing showing that pharmaceutical companies and the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying group wrote $172,500 in checks to the Utah Families Foundation.  What is the Utah Families Foundation, you ask?  It’s the charity that Hatch helped start, and the same charity that has filed taxes illegally for almost 10 years, according to the Washington Times.

Oops.

Now is an appropriate time to also point out that the industries main lobbying group also paid Hatch’s son Scott to be its lobbyist in Washington D.C.

Now, it appears as though Hatch wants money again – this time on behalf of the University of Utah.  After all, he didn’t speak up when Boise State went undefeated in 2006, or when Hawaii ran the table in 2007, or when TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State were perfect in 2009.  But as long as Utah can grab a few extra bucks, it’s all good.

Sounds like an honest guy to me.

But for those of us who like the BCS system, we need not worry.  Hatch will probably be supporting the system by the end of the week.  That is, if his actions are anything like his stance on polygamy, where he first supported polygamists, then was later on record condoning it. He flip-flopped on the issue.  I call that the “classic John Kerry move.”

So if all of you hopeless playoff optimists want to trust this guy to bring a “December/January/in general” Madness to college football, go ahead.  I’ll continue to have my doubts.

So now the Justice Department wants to see if the system violates antitrust laws.  Well, as far as I can tell, there is competition.  Some competition (the SEC), is just worlds better than other competition (Mountain West, WAC).

Hey Justice Department – I have a law you can investigate.  How about the “we’re only undefeated because Tulsa dropped a wide open pass” law.  Or the “we know we have a week conference schedule, but we still schedule division 1-AA teams to come play us at home, then only beat them by 18 points” law.  Oh, and look into the “we gave up 35 points against Louisiana Tech, 34 against Fresno State and 33 against Nevada, but we know we could hold Florida, Alabama and Texas to single digits” law.  Yes, I’m talking about the 2009 Boise State team, the only other unbeaten team besides Alabama.

The key for these teams is scheduling four very difficult games out of conference, knowing you should get eight wins in the conference.  Then maybe they’ll have a chance to play for a championship.  A lack of antitrust laws didn’t keep the Broncos, Warriors, Bearcats, Horned Frogs or anyone else from reaching the title game.  Poor scheduling, and poor play even in some of the wins kept them out.

If you’re happy with the Justice Department looking into this, then you must not care about the war that Obama refuses to get us out of, the bailout that is putting the country further in debt or the inevitable tax increases to come.  If this is such a serious issue, then why hasn’t it already been addressed?  If the BCS was illegal, it could not have possibly lasted this long.

Does the regular season mean anything?  According to Hatch, the answer is no.  A playoff system likely means 9-3 teams have a chance to win it all.  And how would the seeds be determined?  I’m guessing they would use…ah…the BCS rankings.  I can see it now: the playoff system takes the teams ranked 1-8, then a senator from the state the school ranked #9 is from writes a letter to Congress saying it’s not fair.  Then the playoff expands, as it does in every other sport, and all of a sudden teams are playing games during finals week, on Christmas Day, in January once classes start and on into February, where the championship is played on Valentine’s Day.

Sounds good to me.

Not.

20-win Cougars flying under the radar

Name one player who plays for the BYU Cougars men’s basketball team.  Do it.  Got nothing?  It’s okay, you’re just like everybody else.

You may not know anything about the underrated, overachieving, religious junkies from north central Utah.  Neither does anyone else.  But know this.  The Cougars are ranked #14 in the AP Poll and are creeping up on the nation.  ESPN ignores them.  You won’t find them on TV.  But while Tennessee was busy getting smoked at Georgia yesterday (Bulldogs ranked #73 in RPI), the Cougars were grinding out a tough win at San Diego State (Aztecs ranked #41 in RPI).  That win pushed BYU to 20-1 on the season.  They’re the first team in the country to achieve the 20-win milestone, and it’s still January.

The Cougars are outscoring opponents 83-62 on average and are shooting more than 50 percent for the season, including 42 percent from three-point range.

They have only three seniors on the team, none of whom are in the top three in scoring.  They are led by Jimmer Fredette, a junior averaging 20 points per game.  After that comes junior Jackson Emery and freshman Tyler Haws, each averaging 12.  In fact, 11 of the 13 players have played in at least 19 games.

Sure, the Cougars haven’t had much in terms of a schedule, but they did beat Arizona and Arizona State out of conference, both of whom are tied for second place in the Pac 10.  The one loss, at Utah State, is a loss to hide from, though the Aggies (15-6) do have a better RPI than Florida, Minnesota and Seton Hall.

The Mountain West has some tough teams (UNLV and New Mexico were ranked earlier this year, while Utah and San Diego State are also tournament bubble teams), but it’s not insane to think BYU could pull a Memphis and run the table.  If so, head coach Dave Rose may, dare I say it, have his team as high as a #1 seed come March.

Picking all 34 bowl games

Bowl season gets underway Saturday with the first of 34 bowl games.  Damn, that’s 68 bowl bids.  I guess when a team loads up on FCS and Sun Belt teams in the nonconference, being bowl eligible doesn’t mean much.  But here we are anyway, and I’ll attempt to pick all 34, though I will likely only watch about half of them.

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State vs Wyoming
Fresno finished strong with a dramatic overtime win over Illinois in Champaign.  A loaded schedule included losses to Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Boise State, but that should have them ready.  Props for Dave Christensen for getting Wyoming back to a bowl in his first season.
Pick:  Fresno State

Beef ‘O’Brady’s Bowl – Central Florida vs Rutgers
When Rutgers lost by 32 at home to Cincinnati in week one, things weren’t looking good.  But the Scarlet Knights pulled it together and finished 8-4 in a surprisingly competitive Big East.  However, Central Florida basically has a home game here, and containing Tim Brown’s big play ability will be key.  Rutgers’D ranks 99th.
Pick:  Central Florida

New Orleans Bowl – Southern Mississippi vs Middle Tennessee State
Sub Belt runner-up Middle Tennessee’s lone conference loss was to Troy, and 9-3 should be considered a success.  Al logic says pick the Blue Raiders, but I’m going against my logic on this.  Southern Mississippi had some heartbreaking losses against good teams, which will ultimately have them prepared for this game.
Pick:  Southern Mississippi

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs BYU
The Beavers were just a few plays away from playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.  Instead, they settle for Vegas and a great matchup with BYU.  The Beavers played five teams in the top 25, while the Cougars played just two.  Max Hall should have fun with the Beaver defense, but Oregon State will win a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Oregon State

Poinsettia Bowl – Utah vs California
Jahvid Best should be ready for this game, but how well he will do coming back from the concussion is unknown.  The Golden Bears, ranked as high as #6 earlier this year, fell after back to back blowout losses mid-season.  Utah’s defense is #20 in the country, while Cal ranks at #70.
Pick:  Utah

Sheraton Bowl – Nevada vs SMU
SMU will snap its 25 year bowl drought when it takes the field in Honolulu on Christmas Eve to play Nevada.  The Wolfpack got hot at the end of the season, winning eight of their final nine after an 0-3 start.  SMU will be happy to be here.  Nevada isn’t leaving without a win.
Pick:  Nevada

Little Caesars Bowl – Marshall vs Ohio
One of only two bowls north of the Mason Dixon line takes place in Detroit between two virtually equal teams.  Marshall is 6-6 but has played a tougher schedule.  Ohio is 9-4 after a MAC Championship loss to Central Michigan.  Ohio did play Tennessee and UConn tough.
Pick:  Ohio

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Pittsburgh vs North Carolina
Like Oregon State, Pittsburgh has to be crushed knowing that an Orange Bowl date with Georgia Tech was probably one or two plays away.  After a heartbreaking loss to Cincinnati, the Panthers settle for a “neutral” site game in Charlotte with the Heels.  Carolina’s defense will keep it close, but the ‘Heels just can’t score.
Pick:  Pittsburgh

Emerald Bowl – Boston College vs USC
I’m really entertained to see what the line on this game will turn out to be.  Right now it’s USC -9, and I’ll take the Trojans to cover.  Boston College has a terrible offense, and USC’s defense can be good despite some poor games.  This is a weird bowl to see USC playing in, and you know they are peeved about it.  Watch out BC.
Pick:  USC

Music City Bowl – Kentucky vs Clemson
Clemson, suffering from the Pitt/Oregon State virus, will have to watch their team take on a -not-as-good-as-their-record Kentucky team.  I’ve thought the ‘Cats were overrated all year, and Clemson has a chance to prove me right.  Kentucky’s rush D is ranked #100.  C.J. Spiller will have a field day.
Pick:  Clemson

Independence Bowl – Texas A&M vs Georgia
The interesting matchup here is Georgia’s fairly good defense against Texas A&M’s explosive offense.  The Aggies lit up Texas’third ranked D and can do it again when they play the Bulldogs.  But the Aggie defense is awful, and Georgia should have its chances to score as well.
Pick:  Georgia

EagleBank Bowl – UCLA vs Temple
Games like this are the toughest to pick.  UCLA is 6-6, but with the #11 schedule in the nation.  Temple is 9-3, but had the sixth easiest schedule.  UCLA’s offense is ranked #88.  Temple’s is #89.  UCLA’s defense is #39, Temple’s is #37.  I’ll take the Bruins because of the schedule.
Pick:  UCLA

Champs Sports Bowl – Miami vs Wisconsin
Another game with no distinct advantage is a good one which features two 9-3 teams.  Wisconsin’s loss to Northwestern cost them their shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game despite a better overall record than the Wildcats.  Jacory Harris will make enough plays to push the ‘Canes to victory in their home state.
Pick:  Miami

Humanitarian Bowl – Bowling Green vs Idaho
Idaho fans were on a roller coaster early this season with the team’s 6-1 start.  But that vanished after the Vandals lost four of their final five, and they limp into Boise, where they lost on the same field by 38.  This time, Tyler Sheehan and Bowling Green are the opponents.  Limiting Sheehan’s big plays will be key for Idaho.
Pick:  Idaho

Holiday Bowl – Arizona vs Nebraska
Geographically, Arizona has the edge, but Husker fans will travel to watch their near Big 12 champions play.  Both defenses are really good, which is why I think 17 points may be enough.  The difference is that Arizona can score, and has, against good teams.  The Huskers haven’t shown consistent offense all season.
Pick:  Arizona

Armed Forces Bowl – Houston vs Air Force
The Armed Forces have their team, the Falcons, in this game.  Awaiting the Falcons is the #1 offense in the nation – the Houston Cougars.  Case Keenum and James Cleveland will be faced with its toughest task of the season with the Falcons’#10 defense.  It’s Keenum’s chance to prove he deserved an invite to New York.
Pick:  Houston

Sun Bowl – Oklahoma vs Stanford
How about this high-profile matchup?  Last year, the final score of the Sun Bowl was 3-0.  This year Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and the Cardinal will need more than that to beat the Sooners.  Gerhart will look to add to his nation-best 26 touchdowns against the seventh ranked Sooner rush defense.
Pick:  Stanford

Texas Bowl – Navy vs Missouri
Missouri became the first team in college football history to scout its bowl opponent in a live game, as the Army/Navy game took place after the bowl selection process.  It’s Navy’s fourth ranked rush attack vs Missouri’s #12 rush defense.  Navy’s only chance is if they can find a way to pass.
Pick:  Missouri

Insight Bowl – Minnesota vs Iowa State
The Insight Bowl took the Cyclones, who are bowling for the first time since 2001.  That decision makes for a good game.  Neither team’s offense or defense is any good, but the Gophers at least have a respectable defense.  Iowa State can’t stop anyone.
Pick:  Minnesota

Chick-fil-A Bowl – Virginia Tech vs Tennessee
Here’s a game that I don’t think will be close.  Virginia Tech has an outstanding defense, and Tennessee doesn’t do much to move the ball.  The Vols defense may keep it respectable for a while, but eventually Virginia Tech, who was ranked as high as number four even after the ‘Bama loss, will pull away.
Pick:  Virginia Tech

Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs Auburn
Would you believe me if I told you Auburn has played seven top 30 teams?  That’s right, seven.  The Tigers won three of those games, but it’s more about the fact that they played those games that has them prepared for this New Year’s Day dandy.  Northwestern played well at the end of the year and won’t go down without a fight.
Pick:  Auburn

Capital One Bowl – Penn State vs LSU
The best bowl game of the season is in Orlando.  LSU played Florida and Alabama tough, but Penn State will be a monstrous challenge as well.  The Lions’D is eighth best in the country, and LSU has the twelfth worst offense in the nation.  It’s going to be tough for the Tigers to score.
Pick:  Penn State

Gator Bowl – West Virginia vs Florida State
How ironic is it that Bobby Bowden’s last game is against the team he used to coach?  As fun as the Bowden storyline should be, the Seminoles have no business being in this game.  Other ACC schools (Clemson, Miami) have to be peeved about the ‘Noles getting the Gator bid.
Pick:  West Virginia

International Bowl – South Florida vs Northern Illinois
Sophomore quarterback Chandler Harnish has been very efficient for Northern Illinois, but they haven’t played a team nearly as good as South Florida since a week one loss to Wisconsin.  The Bulls played tough in a good Big East conference.  The only bowl not played in the U.S. should be a fun one.
Pick:  South Florida

Papajohns.com Bowl – South Carolina vs Connecticut
Middle-of-the-pack teams clash in the only bowl named for a pizza.  UConn lost all five games by four points or fewer, which is quite unbelievable when you think about it.  A few bounces going the other way could make this team 12-0.  Four of South Carolina’s five losses came by double digits.
Pick:  Connecticut

Cotton Bowl – Oklahoma State vs Mississippi
Both of these teams started the season in the top 10 and had national championship aspirations.  Jevan Snead was supposed to win the Heisman and go #1.  Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant were supposed to combine to form the best offense in the country.  This is a game of disappointment.
Pick:  Mississippi

Liberty Bowl – Arkansas vs East Carolina
The Pirates were awfully impressive in capturing their second straight Conference USA championship by knocking off Houston.  Their reward is a date with Arkansas.  Ryan Mallett had a heck of a year that went unnoticed because the Hogs lost five games.
Pick:  Arkansas

Alamo Bowl – Michigan State vs Texas Tech
Everyone knew this would be a down year for Texas Tech following the losses of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, but 8-4 is surprisingly respectable for the Red Raiders.  First year starter Taylor Potts threw for more than 3,000 yards, and he’ll have another big game against the Spartans.
Pick:  Texas Tech

GMAC Bowl – Central Michigan vs Troy
Central Michigan’s turnaround led to a MAC championship.  Now Butch Jones is bolting for Cincinnati to fill the void left by Brian Kelly.  Coach or no coach, the Chippewas should have no trouble moving the ball at will against Troy.  Troy has the offense to keep it close, so look for a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Central Michigan

Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs Oregon
Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks could have folded after losing to Boise State to open the season.  Instead, the Ducks won 10 of 11, dethroned USC to win the Pac 10, and earned a Rose Bowl berth.  Ohio State is on the other end, making this the best BCS game on this year’s slate.
Pick:  Oregon

Sugar Bowl – Cincinnati vs Florida
Tim Tebow lost the game he wanted to win more than anything.  Now he plays his last college game against a team without a coach.  Cincinnati has scored a lot of points on a lot of people, but they haven’t faced a defense like Florida’s.  Tebow won’t let the Gators lose this one.
Pick:  Florida

Fiesta Bowl – Boise State vs TCU
We can talk all we want about the fact that these are two non-BCS teams playing each other, or about them both being undefeated, or about them playing in the national championship game.  But the matchup is what it is, and it should be entertaining.  TCU won last year, and they’ll repeat this year.
Pick:  TCU

Orange Bowl – Iowa vs Georgia Tech
The Hawkeyes were an overtime loss away from winning the Big Ten, but they’ll take their first BCS bowl game since the era began.  Awaiting Iowa and its #11 defense is Georgia Tech’s second ranked rush offense, led by Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt.
Pick:  Georgia Tech

BCS National Championship – Alabama vs Texas
Which Texas team will show up?  The Horns that blew out Okie State in Stillwater?  It better be.  The team that “beat” Nebraska?  Stay home.  We know the Tide and Heisman winner Mark Ingram will be there.  Both teams have good enough defenses to keep from getting blown out.  Bottom line: roll Tide.
Pick:  Alabama

Five must-see bowls, five snoozers

The 2009-2010 bowl season is sure to produce some interesting storylines, even if the games may not be great.  In the Sugar Bowl, a top five offense will clash with a top five defense.  In Dallas, a Cotton Bowl matchup features two teams with explosive offenses who both have to feel disappointed to be in that game.  The day after Christmas, USC will play a bowl game.  Six days later, Bobby Bowden will coach his final game, against his former team.  Three days after that, two non-BCS schools will meet in a BCS bowl.

Here, I give you five bowls to watch even if it means skipping work or family reunions, and five bowls with which you can hit the snooze button.

Sleep through…

5)  Chick-fil-A Bowl:  When Virginia Tech meets Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, things will get ugly.  The Hokies have to consider this season a disappointment, yet they have a chance for another 10-win season under Frank Beamer.  The Hokie defense will make life miserable for a vanilla Tennessee offense and should win comfortably.  Alternative suggestion: start your New Year’s Eve plans early.

4)  Fiesta Bowl: Is the BCS really this scared?  Two of the past three years, a BCS buster has knocked off a powerhouse.  So logically, the BCS puts its two undefeated busters up against each other as to not ruin this system by having another Oklahoma or Alabama fall in the spotlight.  I thought the point of these teams making it to a BCS game was to see how they matched up with BCS schools.  Now we’ll never know.  Alternative suggestion: rewind time and put TCU up against Georgia Tech and Iowa against Boise State.

3)  Texas Bowl: Navy still has one more game to play, meaning they lose two weeks of preparation on Missouri, whom they will play on New Year’s Eve in Houston.  Not only that, but Navy can’t throw the ball.  In fact, they won a game this year in which they didn’t even attempt a pass.  If they try to run, Missouri will stuff it (12th in the nation against the run).  If they try to throw, they will be out of their element.  On the other side, the Tigers have scored at least 32 points in five straight games.  It won’t be close.  Alternative suggestion: see Chick-fil-A Bowl suggestion.

2)  Gator Bowl: That’s really nice of the Gator Bowl to invite Bobby Bowden to play his last game there.  So cute.  Too bad the whole nation will be watching a different 1 p.m. New Year’s Day bowl instead.  Bowden and Florida State do not belong in this game after a .500 finish.  Not only that, but they are going up against a talented West Virginia team which ended the season with wins over Pitt and Rutgers, and a near shocker in Cincinnati.  The ‘Noles don’t have a defense, and West Virginia will exploit that early and often.  Alternative suggestion: watch ABC (see below for why).

1)  Emerald Bowl: Yes, the most boring yet comedic thing to watch will be Boston College trying to move the ball on USC’s defense.  Despite the Trojans’struggles this season, the defense has been relatively stable against bad offenses, and Boston College’s is ranked 97th in the country.  Give Pete Carroll a month to prepare for anyone, and they’re in trouble.  The Eagles don’t have a chance, especially in San Francisco.  Alternative suggestion: leave one Christmas present unopened so you have something to look forward to the next day.

Must-see games

5)  Holiday Bowl: What a dandy this will be.  Heisman candidate Ndamukong Suh and the ninth ranked Nebraska defense faces a top 20 defense in Arizona.  Normally I like Nebraska in this game, but the game being in San Diego neutralizes things.  Arizona is riding high after winning at USC, and Nebraska is feeling good about their “win” against Texas.  Double digits may be enough to win this game.

4)  Rose Bowl: The best BCS matchup features the perennial Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes and…someone other than USC.  This alone makes it a must watch, but considering it’s the Ducks, a team that got white-hot after an opening night loss to Boise State, it should be a classic.  Terrelle Pryor and Jeremiah Masoli should set off plenty of fireworks.

3)  Las Vegas Bowl: It’s amazing that a team can go from playing on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl to playing in a bowl on Dec. 22.  But that’s exactly what happened to the Oregon State Beavers after a heartbreaking loss in Eugene Thursday night.  In comes BYU, a team with lofty expectations before being trampled at home by Florida State, then TCU.  And if there’s anyone who can take apart the Beavers, it’s underrated senior quarterback Max Hall, who is ahead of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Kellen Moore in passing yards per game despite fewer passing attempts.  Buckle up for an offensive explosion.

2)  Poinsettia Bowl: Ironically, last year’s Poinsettia Bowl featured Boise State and TCU, with a final scored of 17-16.  This year the San Diego bowl game should be equally entertaining.  Two teams ranked in the preseason top 25 meet, and this will be about Utah’s defense trying to stop California’s Jahvid Best, who will be returning from a concussion suffered last month.  Both teams are out to prove that early season losses were a fluke.

1)  Capital One Bowl: The best bowl game of the season takes place in Orlando on New Year’s Day.  LSU will face Penn State, and if you recall, things were looking up for these teams in November.  Penn State had Ohio State coming to Happy Valley for the conference championship, while LSU actually held a lead on Alabama.  Neither team came through though, and wind up here instead.  The key to this game is LSU’s defense.  They must hold Penn State down, because the Tiger offense, ranked #108 in the country, won’t have a lot of opportunities against Penn State’s eighth ranked defense.

Dear BCS – your system is just fine

Guest columnist Kyle Goeke

Non BCS conferences are here to stay.  Over the past five years, it has become apparent that these conferences want two things: to be recognized with the big boys and (more importantly) to be paid like the big boys.  A berth in a BCS bowl game is worth $18 million to each conference that gets a bid (which gets split evenly to the schools).  That’s right…in 2007, the terrible 1-11 Idaho Vandals received about $2 million because their conference brethren Hawaii got a BCS bid.  So no wonder these non-BCS conferences want their piece of the pie.

Every decision these commissioners and college presidents make is about money.  Why do you think college football hasn’t switched to a playoff format?  Because they’ll make more money pushing a “win or go home” regular season.  Think about it: a 32 team playoff would include Temple, a 16 team playoff would have three-loss Virginia Tech, and an eight team playoff has two loss LSU.  Some people out there even want a four team (Plus One) playoff.  A four team playoff makes sense…only, who are you going to leave out?  Boise State? Cincinnati?  TCU?  Those three teams can all make the case for the fourth spot.  A four team playoff would create just as much chaos as the system that’s in place now.

Anyways…I hate to ramble.  I’m new to this blog thing.  Here is my suggestion: keep the system the way it is.  It has worked thus far (with the exception of the 2004 Auburn Tigers).  Also, these non BCS schools keep complaining that their team is the best, and yet they can’t play for a title.  I asked Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel about this dilemma a few weeks ago at Tiger Talk (Buffalo Wild Wings 40 cent boneless Monday’s!!!).  He has actually experienced this situation from both perspectives.  He was the head coach at Toledo in 2000 when they failed to make a bowl appearance after a 10-1 regular season (Chester Taylor destroyed the MAC that year).  Pinkel believes that it takes a lot of emotion and preparation to beat a top ranked conference foe.  It takes even more to beat that top ranked team and then come out the next week ready for the next tough team.  Could Boise St. beat Florida?  I think so.  Could Boise St. beat Florida and then come out the next week ready to take on Alabama?  No way.  Kentucky had a two game stretch like that earlier in the season.  Boise St. beat Oregon at home in the first game of the season.  That is literally all they have to show for this season (other than nail biters with Tulsa and Louisiana Tech).  TCU has had a tougher schedule.  It’s not their fault that Clemson lost to Maryland or that Virginia is god-awful.  But Texas State?  Get that game off your schedule if you want to be taken seriously.  They have beaten BYU and Utah badly…but they have not had a two game stretch of good teams yet.

To my suggestion: the winner of the WAC and the MWC should meet during Championship weekend.  The winner of this game should get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl so they can get in on the $$$ action.  Enough of Boise St./Hawaii fans and TCU/Utah fans angry that their team doesn’t get a chance.  Let the winner of that game have a chance at the BCS title game…if they are in the top two of course.  This way they can make the claim that they’ve actually played someone.  I’m sure I went way too long with this blog.  Thanks for reading.

UConn, Duke set for showdown

Want some excitement in college basketball this week?

Too bad.

Only one non-tournament game features ranked teams, and it’s Minnesota  Butler.  Yuck.

Duke is on a path to play UConn for the NIT Tip Off title in the Garden Friday night.  Two days before that, Arizona State and LSU will put up respective tests before falling in the semis.

None of e games were on the staff’s schedule, because we didn’t know what the results would be.

Boise the thorn in Oregon’s rose

Do you remember the first game of the college football season? Because I do. I remember the blue turf. The BCS talk. The airtight Boise defense. The mistake-riddled Duck offense. The gross final score. The LeGarrette Blount punch heard ’round the world.

Who knew that game would have such big implications. And what a reversal of implications it was.

Going in, many thought that a Boise State home loss to Oregon would eliminate the Broncos from BCS contention, while a win meant a BCS-bound trip via coasting through the other 11 games. Few probably thought that a Boise win would eliminate Oregon from the national championship, because no one thought they’d be in contention in the Pac 10. Seven games later, it’s appropriate to think about the inevitable “what if?”

The Ducks are ranked #8 in the nation. This with one loss. Imagine if they had beat the Broncos in Boise that night. They would be 8-0, and possibly ranked as high as #3. After all, they would have beaten Boise State, and they own wins over #12 USC, #14 Utah and #20 California. That’s four top 20 wins they would have had. Texas has one. Iowa has three. Cincinnati and TCU have zero.

Let’s not forget margin of victory. Oregon has won by a combined 73 points against ranked teams not counting the Boise State game. Iowa, the only other team with as many wins over ranked opponents as Oregon, has won those games by a combined 31 points.

I think Oregon would be #3 if they had won on opening night, with an inside track to the national championship against the SEC champion. But they didn’t win. Instead they’ll accept roses and go play in Pasadena, just a week early.

The Rose Bowl is a great honor. But that Rose will have a thorn. What if…?

SEC/Big 12 football challenge

My friend Kyle came up with what I think is a genius idea, though I’m sure it’s been talked about before.  College basketball has the ACC/Big 10 challenge and the Big 12/Pac 10 hardwood series.  Why can’t college football do that?  Kyle wants it to happen, and came up with a way that in can happen – all in one Saturday.  The SEC would play the Big 12, the Big 10 takes on the Pac 10, the Big East tangles with the ACC, and even the smaller conferences get in on the action.  Check out what he says…

I wanted to find out how conferences in major college football matched up with one another.  Big 12 vs. SEC, Big Ten vs. Pac 10, ACC vs. Big East, C-USA vs. MAC, MWC vs. WAC, Sun Belt vs. everyone else…top to bottom.  Basically, the best team from one conference plays the best team from another conference all the way to the worst playing the worst to see which conference gains bragging rights.  I alternated East vs. West, North vs. South and Coastal vs. Atlantic where needed so it wasn’t unfair to one particular division.

This project was much harder than I originally anticipated.  I think I worked on it for three hours, but it was very fun.  It would appear that all of the conference match ups were fair as, according to my predictions, no conference beat another conference by more than two games.  I need more of the season to occur to make some of these calls.  Some of these teams are undefeated with two FCS opponents while some of them are 0-2 against Division 1 Powers.  I randomized which teams got home games and which teams got road games.  Then I realized it wouldn’t be fair (you probably won’t play the same team next year so you may have two or three straight years with this day as a road game).  Some of these games were ridiculously close to call.  Penn St. over USC was tough because Penn St. has played no one, and you know Pete Carroll would have the Trojans ready at Penn St. Ohio St. going across the country to Oregon was tough too because both teams are worse than originally anticipated (I know OSU played well against USC, but a four point home win against Navy?)  In some of those games, I went with the home team by default.  If you have problems with any of my picks, I have reasoning behind all of them and I’d love to hear your opinion.  This format did produce some very intriguing games.

The teams without an opponent will inevitably play each other.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to set up the annual event of Navy losing to Notre Dame (except for 2007).  Everyone else gets a Sun Belt team.  Fun Stuff.

Both Kyle and I made our picks for every game, and we listed them below.  Here are a few points to remember:

- There is no room for subjectivity here.  All of these games are determined strictly by 2008 season results using the formula 1v1, 2v2, ect., and our picks are based on the 2009 season’s teams.

- You will notice that, for example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the #1 Big 12 South team played the #1 SEC East team.  That means the #2 Big 12 South team plays the #2 SEC West team.  This way it’s not just divisions playing divisions.  That means next year the #1 Big 12 South team plays the #1 SEC West team and alternates from there.

- Home field is determined randomly, then alternates after that.  For example, in the SEC/Big 12 series, the SEC East #1 team (Florida) got the home draw, meaning the SEC East teams #3 and #5 also get home, while #2, #4 and #6 are away.  In the West, #2, #4 and #6 are home.

- This whole weekend would have to take place sometime in September as to not interrupt the conference season.

And now on to the games and picks!

SEC vs Big 12

Oklahoma at Florida
Kyle:  Florida
Jaryd:  Florida

Alabama at Missouri
Kyle:  Alabama
Jaryd:  Alabama

Texas at Mississippi
Kyle:  Texas
Jaryd:  Texas

Georgia at Nebraska
Kyle:  Nebraska
Jaryd:  Nebraska

Texas Tech at South Carolina
Kyle:  Texas Tech
Jaryd:  South Carolina

LSU at Kansas
Kyle:  LSU
Jaryd:  Kansas

Oklahoma State at Arkansas
Kyle:  Oklahoma State
Jaryd:  Oklahoma State

Vanderbilt at Colorado
Kyle:  Vanderbilt
Jaryd:  Vanderbilt

Baylor at Tennessee
Kyle:  Tennessee
Jaryd:  Tennessee

Auburn at Kansas State
Kyle:  Auburn
Jaryd:  Auburn

Texas A&M at Mississippi State
Kyle:  Texas A&M
Jaryd:  Texas A&M

Kentucky at Iowa State
Kyle:  Kentucky
Jaryd:  Kentucky

Results…
Kyle:  SEC wins 7-5
Jaryd:  SEC wins 7-5

Big Ten vs Pac 10

USC at Penn State
Kyle:  Penn State
Jaryd  Penn State

Ohio State at Oregon
Kyle:  Ohio State
Jaryd:  Ohio State

Oregon State at Michigan State
Kyle:  Oregon State
Jaryd:  Michigan State

Iowa at California
Kyle:  California
Jaryd:  California

Arizona at Northwestern
Kyle:  Arizona
Jaryd:  Arizona

Minnesota at Arizona State
Kyle:  Arizona State
Jaryd:  Minnesota

Stanford at Wisconsin
Kyle:  Wisconsin
Jaryd:  Wisconsin

Illinois at UCLA
Kyle:  UCLA
Jaryd:  UCLA

Washington State at Purdue
Kyle:  Purdue
Jaryd:  Purdue

Michigan at Washington
Kyle:  Washington
Jaryd:  Michigan

Results…
Kyle:  Pac 10 wins 6-4
Jaryd:  Big Ten wins 7-3

Big East vs ACC

Cincinnati at Virginia Tech
Kyle:  Virginia Tech
Jaryd:  Cincinnati

Florida State at Pittsburgh
Kyle:  Florida State
Jaryd:  Pittsburgh

West Virginia at Georgia Tech
Kyle:  West Virginia
Jaryd:  Georgia Tech

Boston College at Rutgers
Kyle:  Rutgers
Jaryd:  Rutgers

Connecticut at North Carolina
Kyle:  North Carolina
Jaryd:  North Carolina

Maryland at South Florida
Kyle:  South Florida
Jaryd:  South Florida

Louisville at Miami
Kyle:  Miami
Jaryd:  Miami

Wake Forest at Syracuse
Kyle:  Wake Forest
Jaryd:  Wake Forest

Results…
Kyle:  ACC wins 5-3
Jaryd:  Tied 4-4

Conference USA vs MAC

Ball State at Tulsa
Kyle:  Tulsa
Jaryd:  Tulsa

East Carolina at Buffalo
Kyle:  East Carolina
Jaryd:  East Carolina

Bowling Green at Rice
Kyle:  Bowling Green
Jaryd:  Rice

Southern Mississippi at Western Michigan
Kyle:  Western Michigan
Jaryd:  Western Michigan

Central Michigan at Houston
Kyle:  Houston
Jaryd:  Houston

Memphis at Temple
Kyle:  Memphis
Jaryd:  Memphis

Akron at UT-El Paso
Kyle:  UT-El Paso
Jaryd:  UT-El Paso

Marshall at Northern Illinois
Kyle:  Northern Illinois
Jaryd:  Northern Illinois

Eastern Michigan at Tulane
Kyle:  Tulane
Jaryd:  Tulane

UAB at Kent State
Kyle:  UAB
Jaryd:  UAB

Southern Methodist at Ohio
Kyle:  Ohio
Jaryd:  Ohio

Central Florida at Toledo
Kyle:  Toledo
Jaryd:  Toledo

Results…
Kyle:  Conference USA wins 7-5
Jaryd:  Conference USA wins 8-4

Mountain West vs WAC

Utah at Boise State
Kyle:  Boise State
Jaryd:  Boise State

Louisiana Tech at TCU
Kyle:  TCU
Jaryd:  TCU

BYU at Nevada
Kyle:  BYU
Jaryd:  BYU

Hawaii at Air Force
Kyle:  Air Force
Jaryd:  Air Force

Colorado State at Fresno State
Kyle:  Fresno State
Jaryd:  Fresno State

San Jose State at UNLV
Kyle:  UNLV
Jaryd:  UNLV

New Mexico at Utah State
Kyle:  Utah State
Jaryd:  Utah State

New Mexico State at Wyoming
Kyle:  Wyoming
Jaryd:  Wyoming

San Diego State at Idaho
Kyle:  Idaho
Jaryd:  Idaho

Results…
Kyle:  Mountain West wins 5-4
Jaryd:  Mountain West wins 5-4

Sun Belt, Independence and Leftovers

Navy at Notre Dame
Kyle:  Notre Dame
Jaryd:  Notre Dame

Troy at Indiana
Kyle:  Indiana
Jaryd:  Troy

Louisiana-Lafayette at Clemson
Kyle:  Clemson
Jaryd:  Clemson

Florida Atlantic at N.C. State
Kyle:  N.C. State
Jaryd:  N.C. State

Arkansas State at Virginia
Kyle:  Arkansas State
Jaryd:  Arkansas State

Florida International at Duke
Kyle:  Florida International
Jaryd:  Duke

Middle Tennessee State at Miami-Ohio
Kyle:  Middle Tennessee State
Jaryd:  Miami-Ohio

Louisiana-Monroe at Army
Kyle:  Army
Jaryd:  Army

Western Kentucky at North Texas
Kyle:  North Texas
Jaryd:  North Texas

Now what a weekend that would be!

College football rankings – Sept. 21

Washington should not be in the AP Top 25.  But if you’re still deciding between the AP and Coaches Poll, please choose AP.  The coaches still have USC in the top ten, Georgia as high as #17, North Carolina right behind them at #18, Missouri at #21 and Florida State at #25.  If you want a reason to complain about the BCS, look no further than these goons who somehow get to have a third of the influence in those rankings.  If you want an accurate poll, keep reading.

1)  Florida Gators (3-0) – Okay, so the Gators looked mortal on Saturday and now everyone is up in arms about their legitimacy.  So what if they only won by 10?  It’s the SEC, everyone comes to play.  Their first road game is this week.

2)  Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) – The Tide rocked North Texas 53-7, but I’m a little concerned because they only rushed for 260 yards.  Were they playing with Swine Flu?  All jokes aside, this team looks good.  SEC play starts Saturday.

3)  Texas Longhorns (3-0) – Colt McCoy looked terrible for much of the game, but the bottom line is a win is a win, especially revenge against Texas Tech.  The offense made some halftime adjustments, and the defense was good enough.

4)  Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) – The best defense in the nation strikes again.  For the third straight week, the D gave up single digits.  I hate their schedule though.  Four non-league games, all at home against weak teams.  Gross.

5)  California Golden Bears (3-0) – With USC’s loss, Cal takes a stranglehold on the Pac 10.  The offense wasn’t nearly as dominant in Minnesota, but they did enough to win.  Their first three Pac 10 games are against Oregon, USC and UCLA.

6)  Oklahoma Sooners (2-1) – This is the best 2-1 team in the history of college football.  It looks more and more like the Sooners will be fine with Landry Jones.  They’ve outscored their last two opponents 109-0, and have a bye before Miami.

7)  Boise State Broncos (3-0) – I think it’s safe to say they’ve found their offense is back, averaging 49.5 points per game since the ugly Oregon win.  But where was the defense in Fresno?  The Bulldogs put up 507 yards and 34 points.

8)  Mississippi Rebels (2-0) – They may have played well this week, but it was Southeastern Louisiana, so don’t think I’ve forgotten about the Memphis game.  We know they can score, but can the defense hold up against an SEC opponent?

9)  Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1) – Virginia Tech was outplayed by a better Nebraska team and got bailed out by blown coverage.  I don’t think they can hang with most top 25 teams, but for now they have to be here because of the schedule.

10)  LSU Tigers (3-0) - LSU jumps Oklahoma State simply because they’re undefeated, but there’s just something not right about them.  They aren’t explosive offensively, yet they’re winning.  They also beat the team that beat USC.

11)  Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0) – The offense didn’t look nearly as explosive, but they were able to win on the road in the Pac 10.  Tony Pike had another nice day, going 31-49 for 332 yards, and the defense had another strong showing.

12)  USC Trojans (2-1) – I really hate putting USC here because they should be lower after that inexcusable loss.  But they can’t be behind the Buckeyes yet because they won that game, and we all know they’re out for blood now.

13)  Houston Cougars (3-0) – Houston has to love the scheduling gods.  After winning at Oklahoma State, the Cougars got the benefit of a bye week while their opponent this week, Texas Tech, had to go to Austin.

14)  Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1) – The Bucks played their first complete game of the season in a 38-0 route at Toledo.  The USC loss looks worse now, but they should be safe until the Nov. 7 showdown in Happy Valley.

15)  Miami Hurricanes (2-0) – Miami impresses me more every week.  Two wins over two ranked opponents have Miami climbing fast.  Jacory Harris and company better be ready.  Virginia Tech is next in Blacksburg.

16)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1) – If teams are supposed to get better every week, Mike Gundy should be furious.  His Cowboys looked good beating Georgia, then lost to Houston and sleepwalked through the Rice game.

17)  Kansas Jayhawks (3-0) – The Jayhawks keep rocking, this time overcoming a slow start to put away Duke.  Todd Reesing has 806 yards with six touchdowns, and Dezmon Briscoe is averaging 20 yards per catch.

18)  TCU Horned Frogs (2-0) – All of a sudden TCU has the Mountain West bullseye after Utah and BYU fell last week.  The Horned Frogs rushed for seven touchdowns against Texas State-San Macros.

19)  Georgia Bulldogs (2-1) – The Bulldogs looked terrible offensively against Oklahoma State, then decided to light off the fireworks en route to a 2-0 SEC start.  The latest victim was Arkansas, who gave up 530 yards to the ‘Dogs.

20)  North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0) – It took a late fourth quarter surge for North Carolina to pull away from East Carolina.  It gets tougher for the ‘Heels now, starting this week at Georgia Tech.

21)  BYU Cougars (2-1) – This team surprised me the most in week three.  As good as the defense has played all year, BYU let an inept FSU team walk into Provo and make them look like a joke.  Bye, bye, BCS.

22)  Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0) – The Pitt Panthers got their third win, but Navy didn’t make it easy.  Nevertheless, Pitt’s 3-0 and playing well.  Dion Lewis is sixth in the nation in rushing at 132 yards per game.

23)  Michigan Wolverines (3-0) – Rich Rod’s team is one win away from eclipsing last season’s win total.  The Wolverines have one more tuneup game this week before two tough road games in East Lansing and Iowa City.

24)  Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-1) – Nebraska dominated Virginia Tech for 59 minutes, then forgot that they were supposed to actually cover Va Tech receivers.  Still, this team is dangerous.  Bo Pelini has them playing Husker football again.

25)  Auburn Tigers (3-0) – This spot is wide open in my rankings, but for now I’m giving it to the Tigers.  Auburn lit up West Virginia for 41 points, and they are one of four SEC West teams without a loss.

College football picks – Week 1

College football is back and not a moment too soon.  With my White Sox in the midst of a 2-8 road trip, I’m feeling the need for a fresh start, and it so happens to come in the form of a football game on blue turf in Idaho.  In fact, four games between ranked teams highlight the week one slate, but as I will every week, I’ll pick five.  And while I’ll be in St. Louis rooting on my Tigers, don’t expect me to pick that one, because my honest opinion is one that I don’t even want to think about.

Cincinnati at Rutgers- The defending Big East champion Bearcats have a tall order, opening against the Scarlet Knights.  While Rutgers comes into the season with some questions at the skill positions, Cincinnati has 10 new starters on defense, so it’ll be interesting to watch when Rutgers has the ball.  Rutgers has the talent.  Senior Tim Brown is expected to be the primary target for new quarterback Jabu Lovelace, who takes over for the departed Mike Teel.  Four running backs have the potential to play, which makes this game all the more important for Rutgers.  Expect a sloppy game, with both teams trying to get used to its new personnel.  It’s about as even as you can get, but I like the home team.  Last year the Bearcats won 13-10.  This year I like Rutgers by the same score.
- Rutgers 13, Cincinnati 10

#20 BYU at #3 Oklahoma - The Sooners return a loaded team ready for another national championship run, but have a stern opening day test against the Cougars.  BYU was thumped by Utah and TCU last season after many thought they’d roll through the regular season, so they are hoping stiff tests against the Sooners and Florida State will help them prepare better.  The offense is loaded and should be able to score on Oklahoma, but the problem is the defense.  Heisman winner Sam Bradford is back, and the offensive line should provide him plenty of protection again.  Don’t expect any balls to be going off the Texas Stadium scoreboards in this one, because the Sooners won’t have to punt.
- Oklahoma 49, BYU 24

#16 Oregon at #14 Boise State - Boise State defenders delivered a few cheap hits last year, and they are still ringing in the ears of the Ducks’players.  Revenge is on their mind after those hits and a 37-32 loss at home.  Jeremiah Masoli will have to use his quickness to elude the swift Boise State defenders, because the Broncos will be blitzing early and often.  Oregon’s inexperienced line will have to pick up the blitz or it will be over early.  The Ducks are the first ranked team to ever come to Boise, and by the end of the night they’ll be wishing they had stayed home.  The Broncos will be treating this game tonight like a bowl game, and a win should mean a fourth undefeated regular season in six years.
- Boise State 34, Oregon 24

#13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State – Two years ago when this game was in Georgia, the Cowboys were an upstart program facing the eventual Sugar Bowl champion Bulldogs.  Now the game is in Stillwater, and it’s the Bulldogs who are rebuilding after losing superstars Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno.  But the Bulldogs can still figure out the Cowboys, who gave up 62 points to Oklahoma, 59 to Texas Tech and 42 in the Holiday Bowl to Oregon.  Defensively, things will be much tougher for the Bulldogs, who will have to contend with Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter, Dez Bryant and an OSU stadium expansion that will have a rowdy crowd.  Mike Gundy will have his team ready for what they hope will be a magical season.
- Oklahoma State 40, Georgia 30

#5 Alabama at #7 Virginia Tech – Alabama surprised the entire nation with a year-too-early 12-2 season, including an SEC West title and a Sugar Bowl appearance last year.  That all started with a thumping of then #9 Clemson in the Georgia Dome.  This year expectations are high, and the Georgia Dome task doesn’t get any easier with ACC and Orange Bowl champion Virginia Tech strolling in for the game of the week.  The defense has a chance to really shine year, facing a Virginia Tech offense that was inept at times last year.  Offensively there are some questions, but this is a deep team, lead by now-starter Greg McElroy.  Like John Parker Wilson, McElroy is going to be asked not to lose games rather than to win them.  After Virginia Tech’s embarrasing los to East Carolina in last year’s season opener, they’ll be able to swallow this one with a bit more pride.
- Alabama 21, Virginia Tech 6

Upset pick:  Miami 28, #18 Florida State 24 – FSU is distracted.  Bobby Bowden is trying to plug the cheating scandal from leaking any further.  In the midst of all that, this team has no offense, and is entering a rivalry game with a revamped Hurricanes team.  The ‘Noles are used to opening on Monday nights, but this one will send the Tallahassee fans home disappointed.